Distinguished Scientists Seminars

DSS Logo

The Distinguished Scientists Seminar (DSS) program comprises invited talks by leading scientists from outside institutions. Speakers are selected to complement the Graduate Training Program in the College of Medicine and cover a wide range of cutting-edge biomedical research.  Seminars are held monthly during the fall and spring semesters. One seminar per semester is
reserved for the Charles M. Baugh Lecture featuring a nationally/ internationally recognized scientist.

Nominations for seminar speakers should be forwarded to departmental representatives on the DSS Committee. If the speaker is approved, the DSS representative notifies the faculty nominator that the speaker has been approved, gives them a list of available dates, and the
faculty member then invites the speaker.

 



Spring 2024 Distinguished Scientists Seminar Schedule

Date/Time Speaker Host and Department Location
January 11, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Sarah England, Ph.D.
Vice Chair, Research; Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine; Director, Center for Reproductive Health Sciences; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 

"Molecular mechanisms underlying uterine activity”

*Charles M. Baugh Lectureship*

Tom Rich, Ph.D.

Pharmacology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

February 8, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Gustavo Ayala, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Vice Chair, Outreach; University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

"Of Nerves and Cancer, or the Story of the Nerve Guy”

Simon Grelet, Ph.D.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

February 15, 2024, at 4 p.m.

 

Carmen Dessauer, Ph.D.
Chair ad interim; Professor, Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology; Program Director, Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists (TIPS); University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

"Unique scaffolds for localized cAMP signaling in heart”

Tom Rich, Ph.D.

Pharmacology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

 

March 14, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Gordon Mitchell, Ph.D.
Preeminence Professor of Neuroscience and Physical Therapy; Director of the Breathing Research and Therapeutics Center (BREATHE); Director of Breathing Research and Therapeutics Training Program and Deputy Director of McKnight Brain Institute; Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida

"Therapeutic acute intermittent hypoxia, respiratory motor plasticity and improved breathing (and walking) ability after spinal cord injury"

David Weber, Ph.D.

Physiology & Cell Biology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

 

April 18, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Juergen Richt, Ph.D.
Director, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD); Director, NIH COBRE Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CEZID); College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University

"Swine as research models for zoonotic pathogens: Potential and challenges"

Jin Kim, Ph.D.

Microbiology & Immunology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

 

April 25, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Michael Freeman, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Surgery; Vice Chair, Research, department of Urology; Co-Director, Responsible Conduct of Research Training, Department of Urology; Professor, Biomedical Sciences; Ben Maltz Chair in Cancer Therapeutics; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

*Charles M. Baugh Lectureship*

Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D.

Pathology, Mitchell Cancer Institute

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium



DSS Committee

Meghan Hermance, Ph.D.
Committee Chair
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
mhermance@southalabama.edu

Amy Nelson, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology & Cell Biology
arnelson@southalabama.edu

Brian Fouty, M.D.
USA Health Physicians Group 
bfouty@health.southalabama.edu

Glen Borchert, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology
borchert@southalabama.edu

Karen Fagan, M.D.
USA Health Physicians Group 
kfagan@health.southalabama.edu

Simon Grelet, Ph.D.
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
sgrelet@southalabama.edu

Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D.
Mitchell Cancer Institute
dchakroborty@southalabama.edu